


One More Time with Feeling

by mythicalamity



Category: Buddy System 2, Rhett & Link
Genre: Accidental Relationship, Buddy System 2 Universe, Christmas, Friends to Lovers, Love Confessions, M/M, Roommates, platonic intimacy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:29:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28129170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mythicalamity/pseuds/mythicalamity
Summary: Oh my god, they’re still roommates 😎Post-Buddy System 2, the guys are still living together as friends. Best friends. They’ve grown in their platonic intimacy and have settled into some comfortable, if slightly unconventional, routines - until Link makes a texting faux pas that changes everything.
Relationships: Rhett McLaughlin/Link Neal
Comments: 16
Kudos: 48
Collections: Mythical Secret Santa 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [cryogirl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cryogirl/gifts).



If you had told Link a year ago that he would be completely relaxed at the idea of lounging around naked with his best friend, he never would have believed it. If you had told him a year ago that his roommate would become his best friend, he would have struggled to believe that one as well. He’d never had a best friend before. And he’d begun to accept that maybe it was too late in life for him to have a friendship like that. That maybe the best friendship ship had sailed. It wasn’t a sad thought in Link’s mind. The wide world was full of potential new experiences that may or may not be one day fulfilled: space travel, skydiving, train conducting, motorcycle sidecar riding, uneven sidewalk navigating, best friendshipdom. The world was utterly suffocating with possibilities.

But that was before Link had met Rhett. 

Now having a best friend felt as natural and essential as breathing. He couldn’t imagine life without Rhett. Rhett made this suffocating world easier to breath in. It was as if all of their essences had been pooled together before they’d been born, and divided out into two separate corporeal forms - and they had both been incomplete beings until they finally met. Now, all was right with the world. He supposed that was just what best friendship did for a person. 

They were still very different people at their cores. But they encouraged one another to step outside of their respective comfort zones. There was a time when Link would have received that encouragement as an attack. But he had grown to receive that encouragement as… something else. Rhett was completing him. 

Rhett had started enjoying Link’s paint-drying shows with him some nights. At first it was just an excuse for them to spend more time together, being best friends. Rhett would make them popcorn each night to enjoy while they watched. Link didn’t particularly like popcorn, but having to floss the kernels out of his teeth afterward was worth it for Rhett to have something to enjoy as they enjoyed the show that Link enjoyed... together. Each night Rhett would make himself a different flavor profile of popcorn, and he would also make Link a separate batch of plain popcorn - unseasoned, unbuttered. It really was a best friendly gesture. 

So, the naked thing. 

Rhett had watched some documentaries, and listened to a few audiobooks and podcast episodes about ‘man in his natural state’; and the way that civilization had burdened man with shame and discomfort. Link could certainly relate to that; he never had been comfortable with his own nudity. But Rhett had made Link somewhat comfortable with discomfort, and changed Link’s relationship to situations that used to elicit feelings of shame in him. 

Link thought back to the moment when his relationship to shame and nudity first changed. It was when he and Rhett had gone to that strange spa, and he unexpectedly had to be completely naked. He also ultimately wound up having to rescue Rhett from a twisted view farm, completely naked. The point was, Link learned that trust and bravery were stronger elements within himself than shame and fear. Rhett had shown him that, and Link made active efforts to remember it whenever a situation presented itself where he had a choice between shame and trust. 

So he and Rhett had started off small, no longer wearing their robes over their pajamas when they watched the paint-drying programming and ate popcorn together. Then they lost the socks. Then shirts. Soon they were relaxing in their underwear. And recently they’d gone completely nude. 

Rhett had Link convinced that it truly was a rather poetic way to end the day - in the state in which they’d arrived into the world. It should have been weird. Everything with Rhett was a little weird! But Rhett had a way of making weirdness feel like home. 

He didn’t look at Link’s body in an aggressive or judgemental way, and he didn’t look away as if it was something obscene or to be censored. He was objective and curious. Rhett would comment on birthmarks that he newly noticed, and inquire about little scars - asking for the stories behind them. One night when the paint on the night’s episode was taking a very dramatic length of time to dry, Link had tried to count each of the freckles on the expanse of Rhett’s pink canvas of skin. 

Link had grown beyond comfortable with this new form of intimacy between them. It was like a meditative practice that took him to a new level of consciousness. Just appreciating the feel of Rhett existing next to him, in as vulnerable and natural a state as he had opened himself up to being in. 

The night that everything changed, Rhett had prepared Link’s usual batch of plain popcorn. Unbuttered, unsalted. He had prepared for himself a new recipe of novelty popcorn: peanut butter drizzle. Link found his mouth watering with interest. Buttery, sugary, peanutty goodness painted across the corn puffs in glistening wet stripes. Link licked his lips and wondered what it might taste like if he were to… just try a little. Was it too much? Would the flavors overwhelm? What if the experience rendered him unable to enjoy plain popcorn anymore, and he was doomed to a life chasing one fancy popcorn high after the other? Then he remembered that he wasn’t even that big a fan of plain popcorn, so it wasn’t much of a risk if he  _ did _ ruin that for himself. 

Ultimately, he gave in to temptation and tried the peanut butter drizzle. 

“Do you like it?” Rhett asked with thinly veiled optimism. 

“It’s…. intense.”

“Oh,” Rhett replied, clearly disappointed by that response. 

“It might be the best popcorn I’ve ever tried. Not that I’ve tried that many varieties of popcorn. But I suspect that even if I had, this popcorn would still be the best.”

Rhett lit up like Christmas morning at the compliment. 

“The best, huh?” 

Rhett’s cheeks brightened and swelled as a proud smile spread over his face, filling Link with a curious warmth. 

_ There’s that best friend feeling again _ , Link thought. Eventually, the paint on the show dried, and Link grew squirmy with sleepiness. He also felt a compulsion to floss his teeth; his tongue was fatigued from toying with the slivers of kernels that had wedged themselves between his teeth and into his gum line. 

“I’m gonna turn in,” Link announced. 

Rhett casually nodded. “See you in the morning.”

Link retired to the bedroom and odd as it was, only once he was alone did he put some clothes on. Once he had his striped cotton pajama set on, he made his way to the bathroom to begin his dental hygiene routine 

He had just begun flossing when a piece of popcorn was freed from between his teeth. Thankfully, the sharp edges of the kernel had spared his gums. There was still some peanut buttery sweetness, and a little salt to it. Such a small bite with so much flavor. It was flirting with being overwhelming, but it coasted into a gentle landing on the side of just right. His mouth involuntarily watered and he noticed that his reflection in the bathroom mirror was smiling. 

That joy lasted with Link as he finished flossing, brushing, and swishing. He climbed up into his top bunk and was still grinning as he let his eyes slide shut, enjoying the cool breeze of the ceiling fan. The taste of the popcorn had been washed away and replaced by minty freshness, but the memory was as vivid as anything. And he clung to that memory as he began to drift off to sleep. 

Link was fading in and out of waking consciousness when it occurred to him that maybe he hadn’t thanked Rhett enough for curating such a balanced snack experience for him. He knew that Rhett was always proud of his popcorn creations, and it wasn’t often that Link’s mild tastes could keep up with Rhett’s bold and adventurous flavor propensities. Given that he was still thinking about the taste, hours later, the least he could do for his best friend was throw another compliment at him before he gave himself over to sleep. 

Link lifted his phone, his tired eyes squinting against the darkness, and without the aid of his glasses. He whispered to himself as his thumbs brushed over the letters to convey  _ I really do love your popcorn recipe. _

Link’s chest seized up as the autocorrect feature cut his “your” down to “you”, and his lazy thumb had prematurely hovered too close to the send button, cutting his thought off right there. 

He didn’t need his glasses to know what he had just accidentally conveyed. 

His brain scrambled for some way to unsend the message, but he could already see the little checkmark icon indicating that the message had been seen. 

Three little dots appeared. 

_ Oh goodness, _ Link thought in a panic. Rhett was responding. 

The three little dots disappeared. 

They reappeared. 

They vanished. 

Link hadn’t felt so humiliated since he’d called his teacher “Momma” in the third grade. Or maybe a few months ago, when he’d cheerily told the cashier “You too!” after she’d let him know his receipt was in the bag. 

Maybe he could just pretend he was asleep, and avoid explaining his slip. Perhaps for the rest of their lives. 


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning Link woke up with only one thought in his mind. 

_I really do love you._

He had to check his phone to confirm that that had actually happened. Much to his dismay, this was his reality. And the read receipt was there. No other reply. 

Link stared blankly at the ceiling. 

“Rhett?”

There was no answer. He had suspected the lower bunk was vacant. Had Rhett come to bed late and woken up early? Had he come to bed at all after Link’s sudden proclamation. 

It wasn’t really so sudden, Link thought to himself. They’d been spending a lot of time together. A lot of that time was rather intimate. But it hadn’t ever struck Link as romantic or sexual intimacy. Then again, he hadn’t really stopped to consider that as an option. Had he compartmentalized their interactions so firmly, that he hadn’t left space for anything deeper to develop? Had he tried to respect and embrace Rhett’s ideas of platonic intimacy to the point that he wouldn’t recognize it as anything else? 

_There isn’t anything else,_ Link settled in his mind. It was just an autocorrect misunderstanding. Rhett would probably laugh when he heard the story behind the text message. The thought of Rhett’s booming laughter filled Link with warmth and confidence. 

Link climbed out of bed, smoothed out the fabric of his pajamas, and used his fingertips to do a quick preliminary grooming of his mustache before walking out to the kitchen. 

“You’re up early,” Link said, his voice breaking a little as he announced his presence to Rhett. Rhett lifted his head from his bowl of cereal, and Link was surprised to see him wearing the largest grin he’d ever seen on the man. 

“Kind of an unceremonious way to greet me after last night! I bet you’re nervous because I didn’t say it back. I just didn’t want to say it through a text. Not that there’s anything wrong with you choosing a text message to start the conversation. Whatever it takes! I’m surprised and impressed that you found the nerve to express it first; but here in person, by the light of day, I’m happy to say that I love you too, Link!”

Link was stunned silent. Of all the reactions Link had forecasted in his mind, _I really do love you, too!_ had not been one of them. Laughter, confusion, repulsion… sure, but returning the sentiment? 

This put Link in an uncomfortable position, as he never meant to send the original message. Since Link’s message had been unintended, Rhett was actually the first person to genuinely profess amorous feelings toward the other person. And Rhett was sitting there, blissfully ignorant of what a big step he’d just taken: the stakes probably felt lower to Rhett than they actually were if he thought he already knew how Link felt. 

But Link wasn’t sure if he really did love Rhett. He’d only just opened his heart to best friendship with the man! But one thing was for sure, as Rhett’s best friend, the last thing that Link wanted to do was break his heart. Rhett seemed so… happy. Would a best friend really take that away from him? Especially when he didn’t _not_ love Rhett. He searched himself and found that there were many ways in which he did love him. There were just also many ways that the thought was still… underdeveloped, or underexplored. 

“I, uh… Um. Good. Thank you, Rhett.” Link cleared his throat. He wasn’t sure what he should do next. We’re they dating now? He didn’t feel any different than he had 24-hours ago. But maybe it just hadn’t set in yet. Or maybe he didn’t feel like they were dating because they hadn’t been on a date? The words fell out of his mouth like someone else had put them there. “Do you want to go on a date with me, Rhett?”

Rhett sat up straighter, still beaming pure and radiant joy. The morning sun streamed through the shiny golden flyaway curls that had broken free from his manbun in the night. He always did look wild and lovely in the mornings. 

“I have to say, Link, I’m impressed! On a couple of levels. First of all, with your boldness in making the first move. I’ve really grown to appreciate your childlike mind, and now here you are reminding me about the man’s body that the childlike mind lives in. I mean, it’s not like I’ve never noticed, it’s just that I never imagined you’d _want_ me to notice.”

“Uh…” Link conspicuously cleared his throat, and wondered if he looked as pink as his cheeks felt, flushed with heat. “Thank you? I guess you could say that I’m a little surprised too.”

Rhett’s eyebrows quirked with curiosity. 

“I’m surprised,” Link began to fumble his way through some kind of an explanation. “You enjoy so much variety, and _spice_ in your life. I’m surprised that you seem to think I might be able to... be that for you?”

“Sometimes, when your life has been so full of so much spice all of the time.. removing that spice and tasting life in its unaltered, if a little bland, state… It’s a new experience all of its own! Not a lot of people are able to open my eyes, Link; but you are constantly surprising me through your ordinary experiences and preferences. You make regular stuff exciting.”

Rhett’s words seemed so sincere. And flattering. Link was beginning to feel like Rhett had meant it when he said he loved him. That he wasn’t just bored, or looking for a way to stir things up a little. That made Link feel even more guilty that his own words had been the opposite of deliberate. 

“Speaking of surprises, I’m a little surprised that you’re interested in men at all. I mean, it doesn’t feel like it was all that long ago that you were willing to _murder_ a robot for a woman.”

“I’m not sure it was about the woman.” Link was surprised to find that this part _was_ genuine. “I think that I was willing to murder a robot in order to.. take a stab at feeling human. Or like I had some kind of control over my life. Yeah, I think I would have killed for security and stability back then…”

“What changed?” Rhett asked, with a gravity to his tone that neither of them were accustomed to.

Link thought about it for a moment. “Well. Then I met you, Rhett.”

Link found _that_ to be true, too. He wondered, if he followed through with this accidental turn of events, what other truths he might discover about himself. 

They didn’t say much as they both got ready for their days. Rhett seemed comfortable and at ease with the silence. Link was still a bit unsure how to proceed. 

“Hey Link?” Rhett called out from the front door. “I’m going to head out. Got a couple of clients’ dogs to get out for their morning walks.”

“Wait up!” Link trotted after him. “Do you think you might’ve forgotten anything?”

Rhett smiled, and extended a long arm to wrap easily around Link’s small waist as he leaned down to give Link a soft peck on the lips.

The chaste gesture was enough to take Link’s breath away. He silently let his fist open, palm upturned to reveal Rhett’s keys. “I had meant these… but, thanks.”


	3. Chapter 3

_ 6 months later… _

Link and Rhett sat in the park during another one of their dates. 

This was one of the ways that dating Rhett had changed things between them. 

Six months ago, they still might have gone to the park together to look at all the cute dogs in the park. At least, that’s what Link had always thought they were doing there. It was a prime dog walking destination. And there was a lot of real estate in opportunities to see adorable pups doing adorable things as they trotted merrily through the park. However, over time Rhett had informed him that  _ he  _ had always thought that they were people-watching. Seeing people go about their daily lives, and sketching out narratives in their minds about what was going on with that person on any given day - or what their whole life must be like, based on a 30 second window of how they appeared as they crossed through the park as they made their way across town. Link could understand the appeal of that pastime. However, he felt that he would get too invested in the human storylines. So he himself stuck to taking in the small bursts of joy offered by the canine companions. The emotional stakes seemed more manageable. 

Now that Rhett was his boyfriend, they still went to the park together, like they’d always done. Only now they called it a date. Link didn’t see any harm in that. Having dinner together, like they’d always done; watching the paint-drying show together at night, like they’d always done; exploring each other’s bodies superficially as if looking for secret treasures on maps, like they’d always done. Much like watching the dogs walk through the park, the emotional stakes seemed pretty low. Their routines as roommates hadn’t been disrupted very dramatically now that they had their routines as boyfriends. Link sometimes wondered if for a guy like Rhett, with such dynamic tastes, if the lack of dramatic change was a problem. They still slept in their separate bunks, and aside from holding hands and kissing before they’d leave the house - Link didn’t sense any pressure or suggestion for things to progress physically. And he was thankful for that. 

Link mulled over the state of their relationship as he watched today’s parade of dogs strut proudly through the park. It was uncharacteristically chilly that day, even for the beginning of December. Link felt the cool air warming beneath the scarf that just covered his lips, and then the air would cool and crystallize on the hairs of his moustache.  _ Was it selfish to have not told Rhett that his love confession half a year ago had been a typo?  _ Some of the dogs wore little booties or Christmas sweaters, and it was so adorable that it nearly brought tears to Link’s eyes.  _ He knew that they were comfortable, but was that enough for Rhett? Was that enough for himself?  _

“Look at these two,” Rhett leaned in to whisper in Link’s ear. He gestured toward a young couple walking a pair of corgis. “They met in college, the tall one had registered for the class by mistake and—“

Before Rhett was able to complete his fictionalized account of how the women had come to meet, and ultimately become the co-owners of a pair of adorable corgis, he was interrupted as the dreary grey skies tore open and began to pelt down icy cold rain. 

They sprinted for the bus stop, only to get there and remember that the bus workers had been striking for better pay all week. Link’s chest tightened and he immediately dreaded the prospect of figuring out a plan B for how they were going to get home. But Link’s dejected feeling was curbed when he heard Rhett’s warm, booming laughter. The dread was quickly replaced by pure curiosity. 

“What on  _ earth _ is funny about this?”

“What  _ isn’t _ ?” Rhett countered with an irrepressible grin. “I mean, funny or not - this is what’s happening, man!”

“I… guess?”

“This is our life, Link,” Rhett said happily. “When we look back on this day, are we gonna remember how we moped and grumbled for a mile, or are we going to remember how we held hands and walked together in the rain - looking at all the Christmas lights, and feeling warm from the inside out?”

Link was genuinely speechless. The relentless optimism should have annoyed Link. He was cold, wet, and tired. But he wasn’t annoyed. Instead, he was smiling. His heart swelled as he realized that he was truly falling for his boyfriend of six months. 

He allowed Rhett to take his hand as they gave into ‘what was happening’, taking their time as they walked home down festively decorated side streets and enjoyed people’s seasonal decor. The rain gradually slowed to an ethereal mist before it stopped entirely. 

When they got home, they immediately stripped out of their cold, wet clothes. Link’s heart began to race as he imagined that if this were a romantic comedy, now would be the time for one of them to make a comment about clever ways to warm each other up. He didn’t know if his blood was pumping in such a hurry because he was nervous, or because he was excited. He felt like there was a part of him that wanted Rhett to warm him up like that. But to Rhett’s credit, he didn't challenge Link’s known comfort zone. Instead he brought Link a pair of his warmest pajamas, and then encouraged him to join him under a large blanket on the couch as they watched old reruns of  _ Kings of Bellevue Estates _ . Everything felt warm and familiar. Exactly how Link liked things. 

_ He’s too good to me _ , Link thought.  _ Possibly too good  _ for _ me.  _

Link still didn’t know if it was important that he had never meant for them to wind up like this, cuddled together comfortably like the boyfriends that they were. But there was still a small simmering of guilt in the pit of his stomach knowing that he was only now just beginning to identify the seeds of the deep and real feelings that he had been pretending to feel for the past half of a year. 

If the end result was the same - if he wound up growing in love with Rhett… Did it really matter how it had started? Would it hurt Rhett’s feelings to know that Link hadn’t meant those words in the moment that he’d accidentally texted them to Rhett?

Link felt like he was on the verge of confessing, and trying to explain himself. But before he could decide how to start, Rhett went first. 

“Can I ask a favor of you, Link?”

“Uh, sure? I mean, of course.”

“I’d really like for you to come with me to my parents’ house for Christmas Eve. I know they’re really wanting to meet you.”

“You told your parents about me?”

“You’re my roommate, my best friend, and we’ve been dating for half a year, babe.” Rhett’s chuckle bounced Link as he rested against his large body. “I thought you were more than worth mentioning.”

Was it better or worse to tell Rhett at this point? Tell him that he was needing to hit the reset button on their relationship timeline, if there was such a thing. He felt like Rhett was way ahead of him. But Rhett seemed so happy. What would it cost Link to leave things as they were for another week so that Rhett could share that happiness with his family? 

“Of course, I’ll go,” Link said matter-of-factly. Whether Rhett was his best friend or boyfriend, he didn’t see himself giving Rhett a box of insecurity or heartbreak as an early Christmas gift. 

_ After the party,  _ Link promised himself.  _ After the party, we’ll get on the same page.  _


	4. Chapter 4

Link looked at himself in the full-length mirror in their bedroom. His mustache was flawless, and there wasn’t a hair on his head out of place.

Originally, he had dressed in something quite formal. But Rhett had laughed and reminded him, “This is a party, not a funeral. It’s supposed to be  _ fun _ .”

Link changed out of his shirt, tie, and jacket and donned a festive sweater that Rhett had bought for him the previous year. It was over the top with lights and tinsel threaded through it. An absolute caricature of “something fun”. It was a little snug, which made Link feel kind of warm inside - Rhett had bought the sweater for him, knowing how he liked his clothes to fit. The hem of the sweater just touched the waist of his jeans. The dark denim hugged him in a flattering way, and Link privately hoped that Rhett would notice that as well. 

“That looks great, Link!”

Link startled and spun around at Rhett’s unexpected presence. 

“Thanks…” Link answered, somewhat absently - lost in taking in the sight of Rhett in his chosen party outfit. He had a forest green Henley stretched across his chest, liberally unbuttoned at the top, and soft swishy pants that hung as loosely over him as Link’s pants were tight. The fabric hung lightly over Rhett’s lower half in ways that manages to look as flattering as Link felt that his tightly cradling pants did on himself. Rhett positioned himself behind Link, looking at himself in the mirror as he accentuated his look with a vibrantly colorful scarf with a print pattern of holly leaves and berries. 

Link suddenly realized that he’d been blatantly ogling Rhett in the mirror, and hadn’t properly returned his compliment. “You look great too, Rhett.”

Rhett beamed, and Link couldn’t help wondering what Rhett preferred: the staring or the compliment. 

* * *

Link’s first impression of Rhett’s family was eerily similar to how he remembered his first impression of Rhett: he was overcome with a sense of... not fitting in. And on the heels of that was a feeling of desperately  _ wanting _ to belong where he was sure he didn’t. 

It didn’t help that people kept pointing out their differences. Not in a mean-spirited way. If anything, they were poking fun at Rhett; which Link understood was supposed to be part of the fun when interacting with relatives. Link didn’t have many close relatives, so he only understood this peripherally - through television, movies, and whatnot. And while he knew he was meant to find a compliment in their observations that they were  _ ‘so _ different’, or that it was a relief that Rhett had found someone that could balance out his eccentricities, Link could help hearing that he was nothing like Rhett. Which of course, he already knew good and well. He wasn’t interesting or exciting like Rhett. Did ‘bringing balance’ just mean that he held Rhett back? Slowed him down? Made him more dull? 

Rhett’s family felt so unique and... eclectic. Link’s head was spinning with the kitschy and asymmetric style of holiday decor. He didn’t have a secure point to anchor himself. It never would have occurred to Link that Rhett had toned down his style for Link’s comfort. But now with context, Link wondered if that had been a conscious decision. 

The music was loud and boisterous. It was spirited and festive and Link knew it was meant to be fun, but with the new people and surroundings and his underlying feelings that he was intruding where he didn’t belong… It was a lot. 

He didn’t like any of the themed food or drink. The flavor choices and combinations were so bold. He also didn’t want to be rude. And he was about to cave and try some of the intimidating fare when Rhett mercifully pulled Link into the kitchen. 

There they had an ounce of privacy, and the door muffled some of the raucousness of the family party. 

“They’re a lot to take in, aren’t they?”

“They’re your family, Rhett. And… I think that it helps me to know you better.”

Rhett smiled. And then pulled a plate out of the refrigerator. “Mild cheeses, grapes and saltine crackers.” 

The tension eased out of Link’s shoulders and he salivated in response to the comforting plate of familiar foods. 

“I had my momma pick up some of that sweet wine you like.”

Link began to speak, and Rhett joined in with a sing-song tone that transformed their words into a spoken harmony,  _ “But not too sweet.” _

Link’s chest warmed at the sensation of being known. 

“Thanks for making me feel at home, Rhett.”

“I’m glad you feel that way, Link. You give these folks a chance and I think you’ll find them just as welcoming.”

Link didn’t realize that he’d been as visibly closed off as he was feeling in the self-preservation oriented part of his brain. And maybe he hadn’t been. Maybe it took someone like Rhett to notice; someone who seemed to look for, recognize, and care about these kinds of details about Link. 

They shared a glass of sweet wine, and then Link let Rhett pour him a small glass of eggnog before they left the kitchen to rejoin the party. 

Link didn’t think it was just the tiny taste of wine or the splash of brandy that had eased his nerves and helped him warm to the unfamiliar place and people. As the night wore on, Link became increasingly overwhelmed by the little clues to how Rhett saw him, and the way that Rhett oriented himself around those observations. Equally heavy was the way that he felt about Rhett subtly changing himself to make space for Link in his life. Link didn’t think that Rhett was just being a good friend and roommate by doing these things. Link didn’t think that Rhett would act this way for this long for some fleeting fancy - the way Link had sometimes observed when Rhett would develop a deep yet quickly passing niche interest. Rhett appeared to be genuinely trading in his penchant for fireworks in favor of tending to Link’s slow and steadily burning embers. 

Link had to gather himself as he felt a lump of emotion thicken around his goozle. His eyes began to glisten, and the lights of the crackling fireplace and the garish multicolored Christmas lights went in and out of focus through the tears of appreciation and…  _ love _ that Link for Rhett that Link had been steadily nurturing together. They had built it up so gradually, and yet Link was overcome by it all at once. 

“Link?” Rhett whispered softly. 

Link looked up and tried to discreetly blink back his tears. He cleared his throat. “Yeah?”

“You’ve got an eggnog version of a milk mustache.. over your actual mustache.”

“Oh..” Link began to raise a trembling finger to wipe his lip, but Rhett gently stilled his hand. 

“Let me,” Rhett smoothly offered, before lowering his lips to take Link’s upper lip between them. 

When he pulled back, Link felt his face glowing with fondness. He wasn’t really one for public displays of affection, but he surprised himself as he realized that he didn't care in this instance. 

Link was surprising himself a lot that night, as realizations solidified themselves in his mind. 


	5. Chapter 5

Rhett and Link sat in a comfortable silence as Rhett drove them home from the party. After a few minutes, Rhett did turn the radio on at a low volume, and Link allowed his eyes to slide shut to rest as he listened to Rhett’s honeyed voice humming along with the music. Link appreciated Rhett’s intuition to let him decompress a little after all the stimulation of the family party. 

They entered their home, and Link smiled fondly when he was met by the now-familiar scent of sandalwood with a splash of lavender. It wasn’t a particularly Christmassy scent, but it was absolutely a ‘Rhett’ scent. It smelled like home. 

Rhett shrugged out of his flamboyantly furry winter coat and removed the vibrant silk scarf that was now too warm on his neck. 

Link was tempted to make himself more comfortable as well. He’d already taken off his hat and coat, but maybe he would change out of his party clothes and into his pajamas before having any big conversations. Ultimately, he was afraid he’d lose his nerve. He also felt that maybe six months was long enough to keep this to himself, and that he couldn’t wait even the five more minutes that it would have taken for him to change clothes.

While Link’s thoughts were racing, Rhett casually walked over to plug in the Christmas tree, illuminating himself in a soft festive light. 

“Rhett…” Link began, so faintly that he himself was hardly sure his voice had been audible. 

But Rhett was looking down at him, smile fully reaching his sparkling green eyes. So Rhett must have heard him say something. 

“I… have a confession to make.”

Rhett cocked a curious, yet playful, eyebrow. “That sounds… scandalous?”

Link’s chest suddenly felt hollow, like all the contents of his chest were now renting out space in his throat. 

“When I sent you the text message that one night… You know, the one where I—“

Rhett touched a finger to affectionately stroke Link’s cheek, as he quoted Link’s own typographically erroneous words back to him, _“I really do love you.”_

Link winced. 

“I remember feeling the exact same way, Link,” Rhett said, radiating pride and confidence. All of the things that Link wished he himself could possess. 

“If you felt the same way that you thought that I felt, then you weren’t feeling the same way that I was feeling when I said that I felt that way.”

Rhett cautiously withdrew his finger, and his face shifted toward confusion. “What else could you have… I mean, what _were_ you feeling?”

“I was feeling like… you made really freakin’ good popcorn that night!”

Rhett blankly shook his head. “I don’t… understand.”

“I had picked some popcorn outta my teeth, and remembered how dang good that peanut butter drizzle had been. I meant to text you that I really did love that particular popcorn recipe, and that I wasn’t just sayin’ it to be polite. But then my thumb slipped, and there was some kinda autocorrect involvement. And what I wound up sending was… Well, you know.”

“So, you don’t… love me?” Rhett’s voice sounded like it might break. The colorful lights now seemed a sickly green glow instead of the twinkling cheer they had originally imparted. 

“Not when I sent the text. Or. Maybe I did? I know that I wasn’t _sure_ of it at the time. And that I didn’t mean to say it right then.”

Rhett was speechless. Which was as unnerving as it was rare. 

Link reached to take Rhett’s hands, which Rhett allowed. Though Link could plainly see the protective hesitation in the way that Rhett touched him. 

“But I mean it now. And, I say that I’m not sure whether or not I meant it back then, because while I do remember being surprised that I had sent the message, I also can’t remember a point in our history together that I didn’t love you. Even well before I sent the message. I think back on different moments in our friendship and ask myself, ‘What about then? Did you love him then?’ And in every conceivable instance, I feel like the answer is... yes.”

Tears were now welling up in Rhett’s eyes. 

“Can I…. Can I have a do-over, Rhett?”

“A what?”

“I wanna say it again, and this time I want both of us to know that I mean it. With every gear of my alarm clock heart.”

Rhett chuckled, and a single tear slipped down his now rosy and smiling cheek. “All right, Link. Go for it.”

Link squeezed Rhett’s hands in his, and he locked eyes with him as he made sure he hit every word exactly right, and injected all of the meaning that Link had been discovering, collecting, and cherishing over these past six months. “I really do love you.”

Link wondered if this was why people renewed their wedding vows. After decades of marriage, if it’s a good relationship , the people in it would likely come to the realization that their love had grown. That suddenly the words that they spoke together so long ago no longer fit the size of the emotion and connection that they’d cultivated together over time. Link could imagine a similar urge to want to stop and clarify, ‘I know I said that I loved you, but knowing now what I didn’t know then, I had no idea the scope of what I was talking about!’ Link could see himself asking Rhett again and again over years, and hopefully decades, for this kind of a do-over. 

Rhett didn’t wait a beat before returning the sentiment. “And I am _so_ in love with you.”

For the first time, Link was the one that initiated a soft kiss. 

“This is the best gift I think I’ve ever received by any Christmas tree.” Silver tinsel reflected in Rhett’s shining and smiling eyes. 

“You could… unwrap me, if you wanna,” Link boldly offered.

Link could feel the heat of Rhett’s whole body simmering with the warmth of the raw emotion between them. Link felt his pulse pounding hotly in his ears as he made his advance.

Rhett inhaled sharply. “Link… I… I need to be sure that I’m not just hearing what I want to hear. I need to be sure that you’re not just going through the motions, too afraid of hurting my feelings.”

“I want you, Rhett. I want all of you. I've never been more sure.”

Rhett and Link slipped each other out of their clothes, and lay down beside the tree skirt, covered only by the multicolored glow of the tree lights. 

Link felt the heat of Rhett’s body against his skin at each point of contact. It was a nice contrast to the feeling of the cool floor against his bare back. The extremes of warmth and chill did not bother Link the way they normally would have, because being in Rhett’s arms brought him a sense of center and balance like he’d never experienced. 

Every element of the non-sexual intimacy that they had practiced together translated naturally in this moment. The familiarity with each other’s bodies that they had sharpened even before they’d become a romantic couple had prepared them for this opportunity to apply that knowledge. Rhett’s attuning himself toward intuiting Link’s particular needs and wants; his ability to read every tiny display of body language and interpret the smallest of sounds, or even lack of sound. In hindsight, their layers of dedication to one another had all led up to, and would now lead them through, this new experience together. 

They were still very different people at their cores, but they’d again encouraged one another to step outside of their respective comfort zones. There was a time where Link would have received that encouragement as an attack. But he had grown to receive that encouragement as _love_. 

Rhett was completing him. 


End file.
